Peetz, during a question and answer session, said the board decided to issues the explanation after several failed attempts to take control of the message.

"If that would have come out in December it would have been ideal. We tried in January, it wasn't effective ... We spoke to the New York Times, it got edited, changed and morphed into a more dramatic story. Then we had disagreement about what more should come out," she said.

In the last few weeks, Peetz and vice chair Keith Masser have been talking to students, faculty and a staff advisory group about concerns within the university. By far, that was one of the biggest issues, Peetz said.

"The loudest voices came from alumni and staff advisory group. They just didn't get it. Something horrible had happened that they just didn't understand," she said. "Anyone else who asks from now until perpetuity can read it. ... And we can now move forward."

The Paterno family issued a scathing statement saying it was the "fourth or fifth" attempt at an explanation and was attempting to shift the blame away from the board.

Earlier in her presentation, she told the faculty the New York Times story was linked to the board's website for those who were looking for more information.

A university spokesperson later said Peetz said the story was
ineffective, not inaccurate, and didn't adequately tell the story.
However, since it's the first public explanation, it remains on the
website.

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